Improvement in instruments for administering medicines



e R. M. CURTISS;

Instruments for Administering Medicines.

N0.i47,909. Patented Feb. 24,1874.

' 71 5/77 (98866: 7 [7/17672/071' MM. fie. @M E e/6mg UNITED STATESnoBEnTM. OURTISS, or LINDEN, NEW JERSEY.

IMPROVEMENT IN INSTRUMENTS FOR ADMINIS TERING MEDICINES.

Specification formingipart of Letters Patent No. 147,909, dated February24, 1874 application filed February 5, 1874.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, RoBERT M. GURTIss, of Linden, in the county of Unionand State of New Jersey, have invented an Improved Instrument forAdministering Medicines in liquid form, and other similar purposes, ofwhich the following is a specification:

It is the object of my invention to furnish an improved apparatus fordischarging fluid medicines or other liquids in any desired quantityfrom bottles or other like vessels with ease and accuracy withoutremoving the cork or inclining the bottle, and thereby obviate theliability of spilling, and effect a consequent saving of fluid; and itconsists in an elastic compressible bulb, communicating, through atight-fitting stopper, with the interior of a closed vessel above thesurface of the fluid therein,'in combination with a dischargetube,arranged with one end below the surface of the fluid, and, preferably,near the bottom, and the other extending entirely through the bulb tothe outside of the vessel, being free to slide vertically through thestopper and bulb, through which tube the liquid is forced by thecompression of the bulb and injection of its contained air into thevessel. It consists, also, in a detachable spoon, or other suitablereceptacle, applied to the end of the discharge-tube, to receive themedicinal or other fluid as it is discharged from the bottle, and fromwhich it is administered to the patient. It further consists in thenovel arrangement, with relation to each other, of the compressiblebulb, tubular stopper, air and discharge tubes, and in the constructionof the air-tube, as hereinafter set forth.

Figure l of the'aecompanying drawings is a vertical section of theapparatus applied to a bottle, and showing the administering-spoonattached to the discharge-tube. Fig. 2 is an elevation of the same withthe spoon detached. Fig 3 is a plan view of the under side of thetubular stopper, showing the form of the ends of the air-tube, whichconnects the interior of the bulb with the interior of the bottle, andthe relative arrangement of the discharge-tube.

As shown inthe drawings, a is thevessel, containing the medicinal fluidor other desired liquid, as represented. To the neck of this vessel myimproved instrument for ejecting the fluid is attached. b is a stopperfitting tightly within the neck, and to this all the other parts of theinstrument are attached. Through the stopper the injecting air-tube 0passes vertically, and opens at its lower end into the iuterior of thevessel, above the level of the fluid. To the upper end of this tube ahollow compressible bulb, (Z, is permanently secured, and the air-tube 0opens into the interior of the bulb, as shown. This bulb is formed,preferably, of elastic vulcanized rubber; but other flexible materialmay be used, and its form may be either. ovoid, spherical, or otherwise,as found desirable. e is the discharge-tube, which passes, bypreference, centrally through the bulb d, and air-tube c enters thevessel to, and extends below the level of the fluid to the bottom of thevessel, or thereabout. The airtube 0 is sufficiently larger in diameterthan the dischargetube e to allow the latter to pass through it, andleave a space between the tubes to allow the free passage of air, asseen in Fig. 1. Each end of the air-tube is formed with a series ofprojections, f f, (seen best in Fig. 3,) which are bent toward andembrace the discharge-tube e, as shown in Figs. 1 and 3, and aredesigned to steady the dischargetube, and retain it in an upright andsecure position; Between the projections f f is a similar series ofopenings, 9 g, to allow the passage of air. The upper and outer end ofthe dischargetube is formed, preferably, with a downward curve, asshown, and to the lower end thereof is attached the receiving andadministering spoon h. This is formed with a tubular shank, '5, intowhich the end of the dis charge-tube e enters, and on which it isretained by a screw-thread, thumb-screw, or by friction alone. Aperforation, 7c, in the shank allows the liquid discharged through thetube to enter the bowl of the spoon.

The instrument is operated by compressing the bulb d with the hand orfingers, when the air within it is forced through the air-tube 0 intothe bottle a, thus compressing the volume of air in the bottle, which,pressing upon the surface of the liquid, forces it up the tube 6 andinto the spoon h in any quantity desired, and in proportion to thedegree which the bulb is compressed. The medicine having entered thespoon, as shown in Fig. 1, it is adminis- ATENT QFFIGE.

tered directly therefrom to the patient or invalid.

Various-sized spoons may be provided for attachment to the tube,according to the quantity of medicine required to be administered;.

and when not required, the spoon may be detached, and the medicinedischarged directly from the tube into a glass, vial, or other vessel,from which it may afterward be taken, as represented in Fig. 2.

The discharge tube, although embraced tightly by the bulb, is free toslide vertically, to adapt the instrument to vessels of different depth.This construction has also another advantage-that of enabling thebottle, when eX- hausted of its contents, to be refilled. This isaccomplished by raising the discharge-tube to the upper part of thebottle, and allowing its upper and outer end to dip into the liquid tobe injected. By then operating the bulb in the usual manner, the liquidis drawn into the bottle.

I have shown the dischargetube as passing centrally through the bulb andair-tube, as this arrangement is preferable, owing to its compactness;but the air and discharge tubes may be arranged independent of eachother, passing through the cork at diii'erent points, when preferred.

The apparatus is not confined to the purpose of administering medicines,but is applicable to the general purpose of discharging fluids inrequired quantities from bottles or other vessels to which it may beapplied.

WVhat I claim as my invention, and desire to secure by Letters'Patent,is as follows:

1. In combination with the compressible bulb d, communicating throughthe stopper I), the tube 6, passing entirely through the bulb d, andfree to slide vertically through it, substantially as and for thepurpose set forth.

2. In combination with the bulb 4, tube 0, and stopper 1), the removablespoon h, formed with a tubular shank i, substantially as shown anddescribed.

3. The relative arrangement of the bulb d, air-tube 0, anddischarge-tube c, substantially as herein shown and described.

4. The air-tube 0, provided with the projections f ,embracing the tube'ee, as and for the purpose set forth.

In witness whereof I have hereunto signed my name in the presence of twosubscribing witnesses.

ROBERT M. GURTISS.

Vitnesses:

CHARLES M. Hrecnvs, ARTHUR G. FRASER.

